Chocolat
Vianne Hmm.
Roux I’ll come round sometime, get that squeak out of your door.
Josephine A lot for you. You see? It’s perfect.
Vianne Bon appetite, everyone.
Monsieur Marceau If the Comte finds out…
Armande The Comte isn’t here. He wasn’t invited.
Dedou Is Luc coming?
Armande I’m sure they have other plans.
Mme Clairmont Luc? Why are you sleeping? Hmm? Are you not feeling well?
Luc Happy birthday, Grandmama.
Armande The invitation said five o’clock.
Luc I should have read it more closely.
Armande If you had, you’d know there were supposed to be no gifts.
Luc Don’t worry so much about the ‘supposed to’. Like it?
Armande You made me younger. Very diplomatic.
Vianne I have two announcements. Number one… if you like what you tasted here, you’re going to love my chocolate festival on Sunday.
Armande Advertise on your own time. What’s for dessert?
Vianne That brings me to number two. It is my duty to announce, that there is no dessert here tonight.
Mme Audel No dessert?
Vianne Because it’s on Roux’s boat.
Armande Any complaints, see me.
Serge Monsieur le Comte!
Comte de Reynaud Who’s there?
Serge Um, I must speak to you. You see, Monsieur le Comte? You see? There’s Josephine, that stupid cow.
Comte de Reynaud Something must be done, Serge. Something must be done.
Roux You done yet?
Vianne Almost.
Roux Almost?
Vianne Hmm.
Roux Come on. Leave it. You’re done. Come with me. Come on.
Vianne I have chocolates… chocolates everywhere.
Roux What? You’re all right.
Vianne Do you think ev… everyone had a good time?
Roux Ssh.
Armande I’m tired. Vianne! Roux! Thanks. This was… Thank you.
Vianne I’ll take you home.
Armande Oh, for God’s sake, don’t fuss. You’ll ruin a perfectly decadent evening. I’m not partial to big, sloppy good-byes.
Vianne Armande.
Luc I’ll take care of the dishes.
Armande I think I’ll sleep in my chair tonight.
Vianne Do you like it? Taking your home with you, wherever you go?
Roux Yeah, why not? Your way must be harder… each time having to make a new home from scratch.
Vianne Well, maybe this time I’ll get it right.
Roux What do you mean?
Vianne Maybe I’ll stay. What? Don’t you ever think about… belonging somewhere?
Roux The price is too high. You end up caring what people expect of you. No.
Vianne Is that so terrible? Having people expect something of you?
Roux How does Anouk feel about it?
Vianne What?
Roux All the moving around.
Vianne No, she’s fine. She handles it beautifully. She makes friends easily. She has such an unusual… She hates it. She hates it.
Roux Vianne. Vianne, come on. Come on. Come on.
Man Get ’em out of here!
Woman We need more! Hurry up!
Vianne Anouk!
Boy Mommy! Mommy!
Vianne Anouk! No!
Roux Jesus! Vianne, come back!
Vianne Anouk!
Roux Come back, Vianne!
Vianne Anouk!
Roux Stop!
Vianne No! No!
Roux Stop it!
Vianne Stop it! Stop it!
Roux Come back!
Vianne No! No!
Roux Come on!
Vianne Why did you stop me?
Roux It was too late.
Anouska Mom! Mommy.
Vianne There she is. Oh, my God, there she is!
Anouska Mama!
Vianne Anouska! I’m coming! Oh, my God.
Anouska You’re hurting me.
Vianne Oh, my God. (Sings in French)
Roux I just wanted to make sure that…
Vianne Yes, we’re okay. You?
Roux And I… came to say…
Vianne To say good-bye. Yes, I know.
Roux What?
Vianne Your boat. You’ve lost your home.
Roux No. Just a way to get from place to place, really.
Vianne So how will you, er…
Roux I’ll manage. Well…
Vianne Well…
Roux Vianne? Listen, I…
Vianne I know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
Mme Clairmont Your papa… used to ride this bike every single morning. He would have wanted you to have it. Just you promise me that you’ll never run away again, okay?
Luc Mama, she…
Mme Clairmont What? What’s wrong, Luc?
Pere Henri Though we cannot know Armande Voizin’s last thoughts… we can hope they were thoughts of, penitence. We can hope she asked God to forgive the self-indulgence that aggravated her illness and caused her death. And we can pause to re-examine our own lives. We can resist those… who would lead us into temptation. Blessed is the one who endures temptation, for when he has stood the test…
Anouska Mama. Can we go home now?
Vianne Of course. Of course. Whatever you like, Mama.
Josephine Vianne, did you want me to start the ganache for the festival? Vianne? Did you… What are you doing?
Vianne Leaving. First thing in the morning.
Josephine Is it because of Armande? That was not your fault.
Vianne It’s time, that’s all. This is who I am.
Josephine Did you believe anything you told me? Did you believe I could be better? Was it all a joke?
Vianne I have to pack now.
Josephine If you leave, everything will go back to the way it always was.
Vianne It is the way it always was.
Josephine Not for me.
Mme Clairmont I know how you feel.
Comte de Reynaud Beg your pardon?
Mme Clairmont I suppose it… can’t be easy… having her gone.
Comte de Reynaud Can’t seem to get used to it, no matter how much time. But I… look forward to her return.
Mme Clairmont I don’t believe… anyone would think less of you… if you were to say she was never coming back. Good night, Paul.
Josephine Caroline. I’m sorry. I need to talk to you.
Comte de Reynaud Come in.
Mme Rivet Monsieur le Comte.
Comte de Reynaud It’s all right.
Serge Sorry to bother you, Monsieur le Comte.
Comte de Reynaud All right.
Serge It was the right thing to do, wasn’t it? Of course it was. I, I know it was. It’s everything with Josephine.
Comte de Reynaud Serge… what are you talking about?
Serge The fire, Monsieur le Comte. I know it was the right thing to do, but I… can’t get rid of the faces and the screams.
Comte de Reynaud The fire… The fire was an act of God.
Serge It was me, Monsieur le Comte.
Comte de Reynaud What?
Serge You told me. Remember? You said, “Something has to be done, Serge.” Well, you did, didn’t you?
Comte de Reynaud People could have died. You want their blood on your hands? On, on, on my hands?
Serge Should I go to Pere Henri and ask for forgiveness?
Comte de Reynaud Listen to me, Serge. Listen very carefully. You must leave this village at once… and never return.
Serge Why would I leave my home and my café?
Comte de Reynaud Because I’m evicting you, that’s why! What you have done puts you beyond anyone’s help, beyond my help, anybody’s help! Now get out! Unless you will tell the police what you have done! Get out! Get out! Get out! Oh, God. Oh.
Vianne Time to go.
Anouska Oh, no. I’m not going.
Vianne Well, it’s hard for me, too.
Anouska Pantoufle hates this.
Vianne Stop that. Please put it on.
Anouska I hate you.
Vianne You’re entitled. I said, put it on.
Anouska Ouch!
Vianne Well, then, do it yourself!
Anouska I can’t!
Vianne Get up.
Anouska I have a bad leg like Pantoufle.
Vianne Stop that. Get up.
Anouska Pantoufle can’t walk. I can’t walk.
Vianne Walk. Walk!
Anouska You’re hurting me.
Vianne Well, stop being…
Anouska Let me go! No! It’s not fair!
Vianne Stop it!
Anouska I’m not going!
Vianne It’s… Stop it!
Anouska I’m sorry, Mama. I’m sorry. Don’t worry, Mama. The next time will be better, won’t it, Mama? It will. It will be wonderful. I’m ready to go now, okay?
Luc Like this, Mama?
Mme Clairmont That’s right.
Monsieur Marceau Is this right?
Josephine No, no, you’ve got to cut on the corners, like this. So, just stop them.
Mme Clairmont Higher.
Josephine How do you like these almonds? Are they chopped fine enough? Are they okay, Vianne?
Pere Henri Christ is risen. My friends, let this Easter Day be for us, too, a rebirth. Let us strive…
Comte de Reynaud No. No, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, don’t bury the word ‘rebirth’. Let it ring out. Let this day be for us, too, a rebirth. You see, we are extolling our… our, our parishioners to… to, to resurrect their mortal awareness. Hmm? Okay, good, good. Try again.
Pere Henri I think we’ve gone over this enough. Let, let’s call it a day.
Comte de Reynaud What?
Pere Henri I’m very tired.
Comte de Reynaud Oh, fine, fine. Well, leave it with me. I may have one or two suggestions.
Pere Henri Thank you, Monsieur le Comte…
Comte de Reynaud Just a couple of suggestions. A revision here and there. We want it, to be perfect tomorrow, don’t we? Hmm?
Pere Henri Yes.
Comte de Reynaud Yes. We must resist, must resist the shallow, worldly temptations of our mortal… No, no. We must renounce shallow, worldly temptations of our mortal flesh. Oh! Caroline. All my efforts have been for nothing. I’ve suffered willingly. I’ve fasted. I’ve hardly eaten for weeks now. I’m sorry. I’m, I’m sorry, my, my suffering is nothing. It’s just I… I feel so lost. I don’t know what to do. Tell me what to do.
Vianne Drink this. Drink this. It’ll refresh you. I promise. Go ahead, drink.
Comte de Reynaud I’m so sorry.
Vianne I won’t tell a soul. Hmm. Better get cleaned up. Easter Sunday.
Comte de Reynaud The sermon. I didn’t finish it.
Pere Henri I’ll think of something. I’m not sure… what the theme of my homily today ought to be. Do I want to speak of… the miracle of our Lord’s divine transformation? Not really, no. I don’t want to talk about His divinity. I’d rather talk about His humanity. I mean, you know, how he lived his life here on Earth. His kindness. His tolerance. Listen, here’s what I think. I think we can’t go around… measuring our goodness by what we don’t do. By what we deny ourselves… what we resist, and who we exclude. I think we’ve got to measure goodness… by what we embrace… what we create… and who we include.
Narrator It was certainly not the most fiery sermon Pere Henri would ever preach… nor the most eloquent. But the parishioners felt a new sensation that day. A lightening of the spirit. A freedom from the old tranquilite.
Monsieur Blerot Whoa! Fantastic!
Woman Monsieur le Comte, try one of these.
Comte de Reynaud Thank you.
Narrator Even the Comte de Reynaud felt strangely… released. Although, it would take another six months before he’d work up the nerve to ask Caroline out to dinner. As for Josephine… she took over the lease at the old café… and gave it a new name. But still the clever North Wind was not satisfied. The wind spoke to Vianne of towns yet to be visited. Friends in need, yet to be discovered. Battles, yet to be thought. By someone else… next time. And so it was, the North Wind grew weary… and went on its way. When summer came to the little village, a new breeze from the south blew soft and warm.
Roux Just needed an adjustment. I hope it’ll be better now.
Anouska Roux!
Narrator My mother knew Roux’s return had nothing to do with a silly old door. So did I.
Roux I thought you’d never guess. My favourite, hot chocolate.
Vianne I knew that.
Narrator As for Pantoufle? Well, his bad leg miraculously healed… and he hopped off in search of new adventures. I didn’t miss him.
